US2632286A - Blossom preserving and display container - Google Patents

Description

March 24, 1953 J. K. NEWHALL 2,632,285

BLOSSOM PRESERVING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed :-Oct. 17, 1949 s Sheets-Sheet 1.

IN VEN TOR.

March 24, 1953 J. K. NEWHALL BLOSSOM PRESERVING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 17, 1949 (1%? aia/Z QMQWWM March 24, 1953 J. K. NEWHALL 2,632,236

BLOSSOM PRESERVING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed Oct. 17, 1949 s Sheets-Sheet s I III] I I 1 n\ INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BLOSSOM PRESERVING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER 2 Claims.

My invention contemplates and provides an improved container in which flower blossoms and arrangements thereof, e. g. orchids and corsages formed thereof, may be shipped, preserved and displayed.

A principal object of this invention is to provide a container of simple and sturdy construction, having a transparent wall portion through which an appropriately supported blossom is visible, in which the blossom may be protected during shipment and display by refrigeration and an ambient of CO2.

This principal object together with corollary objects, features and advantages are set forth in the following description of specific embodiments of my invention and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of my improved container;

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a vertical axial sectional view of the container base and its Dry Ice receptacle as they appear before the placement of the Dry Ice in the receptacle;

Fig. 4 is a vertical axial sectional view of the container in use;

Fig. 5 is a vertical axial sectional view of a modified form of my improved container which may be regarded as taken on the line 55 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the container of Fig. 5 as it appears with its cover removed;

Fig. '7 is an axial sectional view of the C03 nozzle of Figs. 5 and 6 and its associated thermostatic valve.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, III indicates a dome of transparent plastic material which is provided in its uppermost portion with an air escape openin I I.

The lower edges of dome II], which desirably is conformed to present an annular flange I 2 rests upon a cardboard bulkhead I 3 which in turn rests upon the up er edge of a circular cardboard base I4. The bulkhead I3 is removably held against the upper edge of base I4, and the dome I is removably held against the bulkhead by a collar I which frictionally embraces both the lower portion of the dome and the upper portion of the base and has an inturned lip I6 bearing against the dome flange I2.

Bulkhead I3 is provided with a C02 escape opening I! and a pair of short intersecting slits 2 I 8I 8 disposed substantially at right angles to each other.

Confined by the base I4 and the bulkhead I3 is a packing of water-absorbent heat insulatin material I9, such as moss, leaves or the like, in which is nested a Dry Ice receptacle 2!! in the nature of a cardboard box having a cover 2| provided with a C02 escape opening 22.

A raiser and shipper of orchids or other flower blossoms oftentimes will find it convenient to keep in his freeze box a supply of the bases I4 each partially filled with water absorbent heat insulating material I9 in which is nested-an uncovered Dry Ice receptacle 20. (See Fig. 3.) Before being placed in the freeze box such partial filling of the material I9 desirably is moistened with water which becomes frozen to retard somewhat the sublimation of the Dry Ice later placed in the receptacle 20 and then to contribute desirable humidity to the atmosphere of the interior of dome I0.

When an orchid 23 or other blossom is to be packaged for preservation and shipment and/or display, a quantity of Dry Ice 24 is placed in a receptacle 20, of a base I4 taken from the freeze box, a cover 2| is fitted to such receptacle and sufiicient additional material I9 is placed in the base substantially to fill it. A bulkhead I3 is then caused to overlie the base. Then there is thrust through the cross-slit portion of the bulkhead the jointed lower end of an elongated vial 25 which preferably contains a small quantity of water and is provided with an aperture stopper 26 through which extends the stem 23a of the blossom 23. A dome I0 is then positioned upon the bulkhead I3 and the collar I5 associated with that dome is slipped down around the upper portion of base I4 snugly and firmly to clamp the bulkhead between the dome and the base. The blossom 23 is now packaged for preservation and shipment and/or display for sale.

The sublimation of the Dry Ice 24, and the melting of the frozen water content of the insulating material I9, establish and for a substantial period of time maintain a desirably low temperature within the dome I0, and the CO2 resultant from the sublimation of the Dry Ice rises through the opening 22 of the Dry Ice receptacle cover 2I, the upper stratum of the material I9, and the bulkhead opening IT to displace all air from the dome interior outwardly through the dome opening I I, and to create for the blossom 23 an ambient of CO2 which nourishes the blossom, and shields it from oxidation, and is sufliciently humid to contribute re-vitalizing water vapor to its pedal pores as liquid water is absorbed by its stem from the water content of vial 25.

If necessary or desirable the Dry Ice 24 may be replenished while the packaged blossom is on display for sale or i in the hands of an ultimate consumer. However, an ultimate consumer usually merely places the packaged blossom in a household refrigerator between wearings of the blossom.

The embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 comprises a cardboard or other comparable box 30 having a cover 31. Cover (H is provided with small air escape openings 3ia- 31a. bottom and rising therefrom is a standpipe 32 which suitably consists of a cardboard tube.

Disposed in circular arrangement within box 38- and around standpipe 31 are the relatively small boxes 33, each of which has its cover 34 slit or apertured for the reception of a watercontaining vial 35 having an apertured stoppet 35 through which extends the stem 37a of an orchid or other blossom 31. Each box 33 may contain a supply of water-moistened moss or other water-absorbent material (not shown) which, suitably, but not necessarily, has its water content frozen as a preliminary to the packaging of the blossoms 3l31.

isposed and retained in the lower portion of standpipe 32 is a metallic receptacle 38' of CO2 under pressure. Such receptacle is provided with a discharge nozzle 39 pointing upwardly. Such nozzle suitably is provided with a threaded-on cap lil having a. relatively thin central. top wall portion Ma. Entry of. CO2 into nozzle 39 from receptacle 38 proper is controlled by a conical valve member 4! carried by the free end of 'a bimetallic reed 42 having its other'end (not shown) fixed'to'and in direct contact with the side wall of receptacle 38..

With all of the packageparts, except cover 3i, and the blossoms iii-37 disposed as shownin Fig. 5, the thin portion 49a of nozzle cap 50 is ruptured with a pointed instrument and the cover 3| is quickly placed on box 30. Thereafter CO2 escapes from the nozzle 39 (but without directly impinging upon any of the blossoms Secured to the central portion of the box- 4 31-37) to reduce the temperature within box it, to displace air from such box through cover apertures tic-31a and to establish a C02 ambient for the blossoms 3l-3l. When the temperature of the side wall of receptacle 35; attains a predetermined low, the reed 42 responds to seat valve 4! and thereby shut oif escape of CO2 through nozzle 39 until further refrigeration of the interior of box 3G is in. order.

The package of Figs 5 and 6 may have its cover formed wholly or in part of transparent material, or such cover may be formed of ordinary opaque cardboard as shown.

Having thus illustrated and described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A blossom-preserving device comprising a container havinga vented top and a bottom, a partition extending across the container in spaced relation to the top and bottom so as to constitute a false bottom, a mass of moisture-absorbent material extending from the bottom tov the partition, a. receptacle for Dry Ice. nested in the said material in spaced relation to the partition and having an escape opening, and a holder for the REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in;.the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name; Date 1,942,477 Jacobus Jan..9, 1934 2,094,389 Walker Sept. 28,1937

2,385,866 Kuehner Oct. 2, 1945.

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